The Shot Heard Around The World

• When King George III received the hand-delivered message from the 1st Continental Congress, he had no intention of giving in.

– What does this mean for the members of the 1st Continental Congress?

• Instead of compromising with the colonies, the King sent hundreds of British military troops to the colonies!!

– HOWEVER, knowing what happened at the 1st Continental Congress meeting, what does King George III not know?

• That the colonies have started training Minutemen to fight back…..

England’s Reaction to the 1st Continental Congress’ Demands

• British General Thomas Gage started hearing that Massachusetts Patriots were collecting illegal amounts of weapons. – The Minutemen were collecting

weapons just in case….

• These weapons were supposedly being kept in a town called Concord, Massachusetts.

• Note that Concord is 20 miles outside of the city of Boston.

And Shots Are Fired….WAR!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_KOu09z_GA (:00 – 3:38)

Concord, Massachusetts – the location where the Minutemen were hiding the illegal weapons. (It’s still there today!!!)

• General Gage believed the rumors and immediately sent 700 British soldiers to Concord to seize the weapons, and to arrest any colonists guarding them.

• What General Gage didn’t know was that the Patriots had already created secret communication systems to prepare for possible British military attacks! – What was the name of the trained militia in each

colony? • The Minutemen

• This day marked the first day of the American Revolution.

April 18, 1775

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIq-jA2ARRg (1:35 – end)

"One, if by land; and two, if by sea."

The Old North Church – Boston, Massachusetts

Paul Revere – lived right behind the Old North Church

The actual lantern used in the Old North Church to announce the British were coming on April 18, 1775.

• Paul Revere and William Dawes both rode from Boston to Concord to warn the Minutemen and any other Patriots willing to fight. – Why did TWO men go send the message to the same

place?

The Message is Dispatched

• Paul Revere and William Dawes took two different routes to Concord, in case they got caught. – Paul Revere – the direct route – William Dawes – the longer route

• False – “The British are coming!” • False – “The Redcoats are coming!” • What was actually said: “The Regulars are out!”

• Paul Revere got to warn Samuel Adams and a few other

Patriots before he got caught by the British on the way to Lexington.

• Revere never made it to Concord to warn the Minutemen.

• William Dawes was the one to make it to Lexington to warn the Minutemen. So why is Paul Revere more famous??????

• The Minutemen were ready.

• Five miles outside of Concord, in a small town called Lexington, 77 Minutemen were waiting for the British soldiers.

• The British soldiers ordered the Minutemen to drop their weapons and return home to their families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIq-jA2ARRg (1:35 – end)

• No one to this day knows which side fired the first shot.

• This shot was the FIRST SHOT of the American Revolution.

• To this day, it is called, “The shot heard round the world.” – What does this mean?

• Eight Patriots died immediately, the first war casualties.

The Shot Heard Round the World